Verified Farmland & Agricultural Land
Across India

Not by purchase. Under Rule 24 of the FEM (Non-Debt Instruments) Rules, 2019, NRIs and OCI cardholders cannot buy agricultural land, farmhouses or plantation property, and a gift is excluded on the same terms -- even from a resident relative. Inheritance is the only route that reaches agricultural land.

NA (non-agricultural) conversion is the government approval that lets land zoned for farming be used for residential, commercial or industrial purposes. Owning agricultural land is not permission to build on it -- that needs a conversion order, applied for through the district or revenue authority, with a fee set by the state.

At minimum: the sale deed and the chain of title behind it, the record of rights (RTC/Pahani, 7/12 extract, patta or the state equivalent), the mutation record, an Encumbrance Certificate covering 13 to 30 years, the survey sketch, and tax-paid receipts. If the land has been converted, add the NA conversion order.

The RTC (Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops) is Karnataka's core land record, free to view on the state land records portal. Check that the owner matches the seller, that the extent matches what is being sold, and that the liabilities and tenancy columns are blank or show only released entries. Read columns by heading, not position -- the layout has changed across formats.